TECHNOLOGY: distributor is ‘predictor of marketplace’

Rand Technology Inc., an Irvine-based company that has no recurring revenue, notched a 160% two-year growth rate for the period ended June 30. Founder and Chief Executive Andrea Klein, who views the lack of predictability as a challenge rather than a problem, has figured out a way to bring more stability to Rand’s bottom line and boost its revenue amid fears of looming trade war.

RETAIL: Local, lifestyle are themes of $200M redo

More than a dozen new stores and eateries sprouted in the north section of the Irvine Shopping Center that not too long ago housed Macy’s department store. New tenants are national and local favorites—Sephora, 85°C Bakery Cafe, Stance, Afters Ice Cream—that complement the rest of the 150 shops at the outdoor center.

INNOVATION: Came to UCI in 2014 and ‘moved very quickly’

Firms with connections to the University of California-Irvine have raised more than $18.9 billion over the past 10 years, according to Richard Sudek, an angel investor and executive director of the school’s Applied Innovation center.

Dirty Cookie Scales Milk Shots Famed Chef Created

Shahira Marei jumped from managing projects at Boeing to serving cookie-enveloped milk shots. The career switch was rather drastic, but it was her ties to the aerospace giant that made her Dirty Cookie business a possibility.

OC Execs Share Their Fish Stories and Passion

Most anglers consider fishing an escape, an antidote to our plugged-in lifestyles. For several Orange County executives, it’s also a great way to entertain clients—the sport provides ample opportunity for uninterrupted conversation and reeling in the catch can be a team effort.

Matt Cook Brought Business Chops to Small Apparel Company; Brand Influencers Were Already There

There are a lot of easier ways to make money than starting an apparel brand, according to Ethika Inc. Chief Executive Matt Cook, who joined the underwear manufacturer in 2012, little more than a decade after its founding.

APPAREL: Billabong purchase closes; companies co-locate

Boardriders Inc., just before the recent closing of its purchase of Billabong and after the January disappearance of President-elect Pierre Agnes, named its new executive leadership team and is contemplating co-locating the combined company in Boardriders’ Huntington Beach headquarters.

Got Lift With Letter Sent to Paris Boutique

Most cosmetics startups consider landing on Sephora shelves as a benchmark of success. For Laguna Beach-based Ilia Beauty Inc., the nod came from Colette, an influential Parisian boutique frequented by Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld and other fashion gurus.

Spots Point Up Frequency Of Online Data Thefts

Experian PLC’s latest round of TV commercials continues its spotlight on the proliferation of personal-data theft and its credit-monitoring service, which uses proprietary technology to peruse content posted on parts of the internet not indexed by conventional search engines.

Manufacturers Say High-End Cluster Lifts All Kitchens

The Costa Mesa theater district, home to Segerstrom Center for the Arts and South Coast Repertory, has added another showroom to its repertoire—the Fisher & Paykel Experience Center, where a reference to a high note is more about a 36-inch stove’s British thermal unit output than about a vocal range.

MARKETING: Onex down to 65% of Emerald Expositions

Onex Corp. is further reducing its stake in Emerald Expositions Events Inc., less than a year after the San Juan Capistrano-based trade show operator completed its initial public offering and started trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

OC Operator Helped Keep One Speech Short

Clinics in Observance Of International Celebration

Vans Inc. in Costa Mesa has scheduled more than 100 skateboarding clinics in Brooklyn, Chicago, London, St. Petersburg, Shanghai, Bangalore, São Paulo, Mexico City, and other major cities to “inspire a new wave of women’s skateboarding progression.”

EXEC PILOTS

Most of us, at least as children, “have looked at the birds and thought that they might be having more fun,” said flight instructor Michael Church, who’s helped a number of Orange County-based executives follow through with the fascination by getting a license to operate their own set of wings.

RETAIL: Puts second HQ in Newport Beach; $100M in 2018?

Competitors Wore Its Goggles on the Slopes

Oakley Inc. wasn’t a sponsor of the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games, but its oval-shaped logo got plenty of airtime. Nearly a dozen athletes won medals while wearing Oakley’s Harmony Fade goggles, including Chloe Kim, who won gold in the snowboard halfpipe, skier Mikaela Shiffrin, first in giant slalom, and snowboarder Red Gerard, who won in slopestyle

Billboard Campaign 20K Plays on Several Screens

Realty ONE Group launched a series of video ads on Times Square digital billboards last month in New York to get noticed by industry professionals attending the Inman Connect conference at a nearby hotel.

APPAREL: Head of newly combined surfwear giant lost at sea

Boardriders Inc. lost President Pierre Agnes less than a month after the Huntington Beach-based action sports giant announced a deal to acquire main competitor Billabong International Ltd. in Australia.

J.D. Power Certifies Exceptional Offerings

D. Power’s Power Circle Ratings serve as a seal of approval on various products and services, most notably in the auto industry. The Costa Mesa-based market research company is now looking into customers’ satisfaction with apps. It launched the Mobile App Certification Program, which recognizes brands providing “an exceptional mobile app experience.”

She Loaded Up That Taco

Taco Bell Corp. “wasn’t a turnaround job” when Chief Marketing Officer Marisa Thalberg took over the reins in June 2016. Systemwide sales that year at the Irvine-based Mexican-themed fast food chain were up 6% to about $9.6 billion.

JWA Ads Land $1M+ Annually for County

We’ve all heard and read “Amazon” and “death of bricks-and-mortar” in the same sentence many times this year. Expect the rhetoric to continue in 2018, all while brands and retailers continue to adapt to the new normal.

Chosen to Be One Of 60 Curators of Playlists

House of Vans, a string of music venues hosted by Vans Inc. in Costa Mesa, is now one of more than 60 curators for Apple Music, tasked with perusing 40 million songs available on the streaming platform and developing playlists that its audiences would appreciate.